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back to article ContactPoint to be erased from history

The bonfire of the databases continues apace today, with an announcement from Children’s Minister Tim Loughton that ContactPoint will be switched off on 6 August. The ContactPoint project was launched in the wake of a string of disasters in childcare – of which the Victoria Climbié case was one of the most significant - in …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    ContactPoint Re-Branded

    "Accordingly, we are exploring the practicality of a new national signposting service which would focus on helping practitioners find out whether another practitioner is working, or has previously worked, in another authority area with the same vulnerable child."

    They could name it ContactPoint.

    When I read the words, "national signposting service", I couldn't help but think it sounds very much like a way of trying to say "centralised contact point" without using those words.

    I fear that those who predicted a mere re-branding exercise may be turning out to be right.

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    1. sheila
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      Flame

      rebranded and tied up with a pretty tartan ribbon

      Spot on anon! Sounds like Scotland's prize-winning eCare system.

      http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/PublicServiceReform/efficientgovernment/DataStandardsAndeCare

      http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/924/0009673.pdf

      http://www.forhighlandschildren.org/htm/girfec/gir-publications/phnr-separate-forms&guidance-aug09/phnr-contents-list.pdf

      http://visionwareplc.com/page.cfm?pageid=359

      Kind of replaces the NIR too - handy that.

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  2. The Cube
    Thumb Up

    Well bugger me, one decent thing done by politicians...

    Cameron might be a spineless worm when it comes to sucking up to America (the Lockerbie bomber that wasn't and let's just keep forgetting about all those sitting American Senators who should be extradited to the UK for trial due to their open sponsorship of NORAID - the fund for the IRA to blow up British people) but at least this is a good step.

    As for destroying the data, perhaps they should give the Home Orofice the only copy and ask them to send it as securely as they can to Whitehall?

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  3. sheila

    getting it right for EVERY child/Every child matters

    This was never about child protection...always about universal surveillance and it isn't just going to go away.

    Lord Laming’s report following the Victoria Climbie inquiry, which is cited as the catalyst for children’s services reform in England was published on 28 January 2003.

    Privacy and data-sharing: the way forward for public services ( http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/strategy/assets/piu%20data.pdf) – sets out (among other intended reforms) changes to children’s services which the public and professionals were led to believe were being instigated as a result of the Laming reports. It is dated 2002.

    These forms (for EVERY child, their family and associated third parties) from Scotland's Girfec initiative bear an uncanny resemblance to the eCaf.

    http://www.forhighlandschildren.org/htm/girfec/gir-publications/phnr-separate-forms&guidance-aug09/phnr-contents-list.pdf

    Please look at this link...

    There has been a lot of effort and money put in to promoting the myth that the Scottish eCare/Girfec system is less intrusive than much of what is meant to be being dismantled in England (Contactpoint etc.).

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/02/scottish_data_collection/

    http://www.identityblog.com/?p=917

    There is a history of unpalatable policies being test-run on the Scots (think poll tax). As one commentator recently put it :

    "It seems that this parallels the Poll tax.

    If something really smells, send it North for a trial. eCare is an EU programme , it appears, being test run on Scotland.

    The Scots rebelled over the Poll Tax, why not eCare? Or don't Scots care about losing all their privacy and freedom?

    Isn't it time for the clans to gather once more, and drive out the invading foreigner, determined to bring Scotland under the heel."

    Beware of anything that tries to sell the Scottish system:

    http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/ByDiscipline/Social-Care/990180/England-learn-joint-working-parts-UK-say-social-workers/

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    1. Anonymous Coward
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      Anonymous Coward

      ecare

      "The Scots rebelled over the Poll Tax, why not eCare? Or don't Scots care about losing all their privacy and freedom?"

      I live in Scotland, and this article is the first time I've ever heard of it.

      It's never really been discussed on mass media platforms.

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      1. ElFatbob
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        Ditto

        After the poll tax, they've decided it's better not to tell people....

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